The state of
The staff of the
“”We do feel strongly that our system is safe, but we have not met all requirements to document it is safe,”” said
The complaint filed with the commission does not request a specific penalty, but the commission can impose a fine of
In the Mid-Columbia, Cascade is accused of failing to complete corrosion control monitoring for
In addition, corrosion control records were incomplete, only being kept where problems occurred and then not always including adequate information, according to the complaint.
The company did not follow its own procedures for evaluation and documentation of underground leaks, failing to document the perimeter of leaks in
The complaint also alleges that gas pipeline records lack sufficient details in maps or that pipelines in the Tri-Cities have not been mapped.
Elsewhere in the state, Cascade was accused of operating a pipeline at a higher pressure than allowed.
Cascade recognizes it has operation areas that need attention and is working on them, Hanson said.
Over the past 18 months, the company’s leadership has made significant investments to resolve issues, he said. That has included work to educate employees and improve documentation. It also has invested in equipment, including computerized mapping, he said.
Cascade has 20 days to file an answer to the complaint. The company has 196,000 business and residential customers in 65 communities in